


The Shadow of Darkness

by xspike4evax



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 11:04:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17042537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xspike4evax/pseuds/xspike4evax
Summary: The only important thing was to find her, to hold her close and make sure she was safe. Draco knew he wouldn’t be able to bare it if something happened to her; the one good thing in his life, the only good thing to come out of the choice he had made to follow the Dark Lord.





	The Shadow of Darkness

His breath caught in this throat as his feet pounded down the corridors of Hogwarts. People were all around him, Death Eaters, the Order, the old DA; but he didn’t pay any attention to them, they weren’t important. 

The only important thing was to find her, to hold her close and make sure she was safe. Draco knew he wouldn’t be able to bare it if something happened to her; the one good thing in his life, the only good thing to come out of the choice he had made to follow the Dark Lord. 

On his way down the moving stair case he dodged a jet of light heading his way, he wasn’t sure who had fired a curse at him and even if it had been at him. Somehow he was miraculously running straight through the warring sides and no-one was attempting to hurt him. 

Draco didn’t for a moment imagine it was because he was so well liked or the thought of duelling with him was extremely intimidating. It was just no-one really knew what side he was on. The Death Eaters knew he wore the Dark Mark, he was Lucius Malfoy’s son and none of them wanted to deal with the consequence should they happen to kill him. The old DA were students, they wouldn’t even attempt to kill him, it wasn’t in their nature to do so. As for the Order; in spite of everything he had done, they wouldn’t try to kill a student at Hogwarts. 

Where was she? This was getting tiresome and frustrating very quickly. All he wanted to do was find her and take her away from all of this. He had tried to do it before but she had been adamant she must stay near Hogwarts in case Harry Potter returned and needed her. 

Why was it always Potter? Draco wondered irritably. Why did everything in his life have to revolve around that fool? Even she had, in a way, chosen Potter over him; deeming it necessary to be on hand to help Potter should the need arise rather than escape the madness with him. 

Wand held firmly in his hand, Draco’s grey eyes scanned the area around him desperately searching for long, flowing blonde hair, and large blue eyes which had captured him so completely. 

Panting for breath, he turned a corner and hurried out into the court yard. The wind whipped past him, blowing his hair away from his face and cooling the heat of his skin. Finally his eyes found her, she was duelling with Rookwood, her hair a wild untameable riot around her head; the dreamy expression he associated with her was gone and a look of steely determination had settled on her delicate features. 

His heart raced as he watched her from the shadow of the school. He hated seeing her in any kind of danger. Ever since he had discovered she was being kept prisoner in the cellar of Malfoy Manor earlier that year he’d had the burning urge to protect her from everything. 

If he had not been bored that one fateful day in the Christmas holidays and had impulsively decided to go down to the cellar to see her, under the impression he could gather information on Potter; he would not know what a kind and generous person she was. Luna Lovegood, he reflected, had helped him much more than he had ever helped her. She had eased his troubled mind over his involvement with the Dark Lord and offered him a sympathetic ear rather than cold hostility and judgement. 

Draco had spent hours at a time in the cellar with her, just sitting and listening to her talk about her random creatures and mythical ideas. In the shadow of darkness he was constantly living in, Luna had been a breath of fresh air. He had often heard people saying to head for the light to lead you from the darkness; and that was what Luna done for him. She had been his light and she had shown him he could have good feelings and it wasn’t a bad thing at all. 

Luna gave a sharp cry as a purple jet of light grazed her cheek and she jumped back a little. Rookwood was laughing and Draco’s blood boiled. An inferno of rage burst to life within him, pumping his blood erratically through his veins that someone could hurt her; his Luna. 

“Crucio!” His aim was good, it always had been; the spell hit Rookwood square in the chest and he fell to the ground writhing in pain. 

Draco emerged from the shadows his wand arm steady and his eyes narrowed into hard shards of flint. His pale complexion had a red tint to it and his muscles strained so hard he could feel the pulse in his jaw working. 

Luna brushed her hair from her face and stared at him as he crossed the grass towards her. Rookwood’s painful screams sliced through her brain and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. The fact that the Death Eater was in excruciating pain didn’t bother her all that much. She was aware this man had more than likely inflicted much worse on other people; but she knew the person casting the curse really needed to mean it before the proper kind of pain could be received by the victim. 

Her heart hurt to think Draco could shut off all the good feelings he possessed and allow himself to swim in enough anger and hatred to produce such a curse. 

“Draco, enough,” she said softly, resting her hand on his tense arm. 

Her touch affected him immediately and Draco lowered his arm, breaking the spell. He watched Rookwood panting on the ground with a strange detachment, it was almost as if he hadn’t really cast the spell in the first place. 

After muttering a stunning spell he turned to Luna, raising a hand to touch at the gash on her cheek, the crimson blood looked dark and foreboding tricking down her pale cheek. “Does it hurt?” 

“It stings,” she replied gazing mistily up at him. 

Draco nodded approvingly. “He’s worse off then.” 

A small frown wrinkled her forehead. “You didn’t have to do that, Draco.” 

“I said I’d look after you, didn’t I?” 

Luna smiled, her fingers curling around his wrist. “Yes, you did.” 

“We’d better get out of the open.” Draco took her hand and pulled her forward. 

Luna glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she hurried along beside him. He looked stressed and tired and she knew a lot of it was on account of her; because she had refused to leave with him when he had asked her to. 

He had been willing to go against his parents and the Dark Lord for her. Draco Malfoy had wanted to take her away from the horrors of the war; he’d practically begged her to go; but she had insisted on staying behind. 

She felt it was the right thing to be where she was, fighting beside Harry; for what she believed in. But she felt guilty over Draco. He had been the one left behind in Malfoy Manor when she had escaped with Harry. Draco had been left worrying over her, wondering where she was; stuck in limbo without any answers. 

Not that it had been any easier for her. She had thought about him constantly, hoping he was all right and that he was safe. Draco had been there for her when she had thought she would be locked away and forgotten about. He had never forgotten about her; always he came to visit her and spend time with her and she had seen a different side to him. 

Luna had discovered Draco Malfoy was not as bad as he was made out to be. He wasn’t completely good either; and Luna never for a moment tried to convince herself that he was. But there was more to him than was seen on the surface. She had been allowed to scratch the surface and delve a little deeper and she was extremely glad she had. 

The person she saw was someone she wanted to be around, and Luna was grateful for Draco. 

Entering the crowded foyer Luna felt Draco’s arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. She fitted neatly under his arm and she thought they were like a jigsaw puzzle; she and Draco fit together very well. He was dark and brooding a lot of the time and she was always so light and breezy. She was the good side to him and he was the strong side of her. 

Scanning the duelling witches and wizards around him, Draco turned his head slightly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a jet of red light heading towards them. He didn’t have time to raise his wand, he didn’t have time to cast a spell, he just had to move. 

Luna gave a startled cry when she felt Draco’s arms wrapping tightly around her slender frame and spinning her sideward. She stumbled over his feet as she moved backwards and stared up at him in surprise. “What in the world are you doing?” 

Draco didn’t reply with words, but screamed out in pain. His body jerked in her arms and fear shot through her. He slumped against her breathing heavily, the weight of his body was too much for her to support and Luna’s knees buckled. She held him close to her, peering at his face, trying to ignore the harsh panting breaths squeezing from his throat. 

“Draco,” she whispered. “Draco, tell me where it hurts.” 

Draco grunted in response, his eyes flickering madly. 

Looking around, Luna spotted Hermione a little way away. “Hermione! Hermione quick! Help me!” 

Hermione turned and hurried over to her with Ron at her heels. “What’s the matter? What’s happened are you hurt?” 

“No, it’s Draco. Help him, Hermione,” Luna begged, her eyes wide and frightened. 

Hermione knelt next to them and examined Draco carefully. “What was he hit with?” 

“I don’t know, I didn’t see. He spun me out of the way and he was hit in his back.” Luna's voice shook and her fingers tightened their hold on Draco. 

Shaking her head regretfully Hermione said, “I don’t know what to do, Luna. Without knowing what hit him, I can’t help him. Ron, go and find someone, quickly.” 

“Who?” Ron demanded, hopping on the spot, the fright in Hermione’s voice communicating itself to him. 

“Madam Pomfrey, Lupin, your mother, anyone. Just go now!” Hermione commanded, turning her attention back to Draco. 

Draco could hear their voices floating above his head. He groaned softly and opened his eyes a little. “Luna?” 

Hermione respectfully moved away a few paces, keeping a watchful eye on them while she waited for the help she knew would come too late. 

“I’m here,” Luna assured him, her fingers stroking his cheek. “You’ll be all right, Draco. Ron’s gone to fetch help. You’ll be just fine.” 

Draco had always believed her before, but now he wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t really feel the pain anymore, just a numbness gradually spreading throughout his body. He gasped a deep shuddering breath and he heard Luna start to cry. 

“Don’t cry.” 

“Please don’t leave me, Draco.” Luna leant closer to him, her lips touching lightly to his. “Please try.” 

He wanted to try, but Draco found he didn’t really have the energy. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice popped up to tell him he was dying. “I can’t...” he hissed, “....can’t feel.” 

Biting her lip hard to stop herself from screaming Luna hugged him tightly to her. “I’m sorry, Draco. If I had gone with you in the first place this wouldn’t be happening. I’m so sorry.” 

“Luna…” his voice was rough and raspy and he didn’t like the sound of it. He didn’t want her feeling guilty, he would rather die having known her than live a life without her in it. She gave him peace and she loved him. That was enough. 

“I love you, I love you, Draco.” Luna whispered into his ear, her lips brushing his skin and her tears wetting his face. 

A weak smile twitched at the corners of his lips. “I love you too.” He took another shuddering breath but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect. His vision was fading now and he determinedly fixed his eyes on her face. Luna would be the last thing he ever saw. 

“I don’t want you to leave me."

He didn’t want to leave her either. He was scared to leave her in case she stopped loving him. He would be gone and she would meet someone else and forget about him. “Don’t…don’t stop loving me.” 

“Of course I won’t, Draco,“ she promised fiercely. “Death can’t stop true love, it can only delay it for a little while." 

“Delay?” 

“Yes, we’ll be together again, Draco. Just us, just like it was. I’ll wait for you, I promise.” Bending closer Luna kissed him softly. 

Draco’s eyes fluttered shut, he believed her. She would wait, he would see her again, Luna was always right about this kind of thing. He could smell the faint scent of her shampoo; and her arms held him close, pressing him into her body. 

He could feel the delicate softness of her lips against his own, her heart beat against his arm and her tears on his cheeks. 

And then he saw her, he was looking down at her. He watched as his arm fell limply to the floor and Luna raised her head from his lips. She screamed his name, loud and shrill; filled with pain and misery at the realisation that he had gone. 

She buried her face against his neck and Draco saw his own face. His eyes were closed and he wore a peaceful expression. For a brief moment he wondered if he was dreaming, he only looked like he was asleep. 

But he wasn’t asleep; Draco saw what Luna had always dismissed, the one thing she had believed was never in him had now appeared. The shadow of darkness had crossed his face. 

Draco knew he was dead. 

Some girls were worth fighting for, some were worth dying for. 

He had died to save Luna; maybe he wasn’t all bad after all?


End file.
